Birth and death are neither two things nor one thing. Life is not an appearance, death is not a disappearance.

The true path is not difficult; just avoid picking and choosing.

Every being has the potential of becoming a Buddha. Our true nature is Buddha nature.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

The Buddha's teaching is a middle way between all extremes, between eternalism and annihilationism, between self-indulgence and self-torture.

The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.

In the moment of anger, abandon anger but not the person. In the moment of attachment, abandon attachment but not the person.

Insight knowledge comes from direct experience, not from intellectual understanding.

The great gift of meditation is that it returns us to the simplicity of our own being.

If you forget yourself, you become the universe.

When things fall apart and we're on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretize.

The quality of every moment depends on the state of our minds.

If you want to understand suffering, you must look into the situation at hand. The teachings say that wherever a problem arises it must be settled right there.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

Don't be afraid of the future. The future is good.

The whole path of mindfulness is about letting go. We let go of our attachment to our views, our attachment to our opinions, our attachment to our ideas.

If a problem is fixable, if a situation is such that you can do something about it, then there is no need to worry. If it's not fixable, then there is no help in worrying. There is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

Silence is sometimes the best answer.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

The willingness to empty ourselves and then seek our true nature is an expression of great and courageous love.

When you note pain, you are not trying to make it go away. You are trying to understand its true nature.

If you want to know your past life, look at your present condition. If you want to know your future life, look at your present actions.

Emptiness is not nothingness. Emptiness is the space of possibility.

The signs of practice are not in extraordinary experiences but in extraordinary awareness of ordinary experiences.

Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.